Former police officer pleads guilty to manslaughter in George Floyd killing

A former Minneapolis police officer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to manslaughter in the murder of George Floyd and agreed to spend three years in state prison, officials said.

Thao, 36, and Kueng, 28, remain scheduled to go to trial in June on state charges of aiding and abetting murder as well as aiding and abetting manslaughter. Lane avoided that trial, which could take weeks, with his guilty plea, ensuring prosecutors also dismissed a charge of aiding and abetting murder.

Police confronted Floyd, who was Black, on 25 May 2020, after a store clerk accused Floyd of paying for cigarettes with a fake $20 bill.

The video captured Lane asking Chauvin if they should roll Floyd over. Chauvin brushed off the question, and Lane relented, though he knew the position was mortally dangerous, according to records filed in court on Wednesday.

Lane is white, Kueng is Black, and Thao is Hmong American. When Floyd was murdered, Lane and Kueng were on their first week on the job.